Puppy Love
by SevenRenny
Summary: Izuku understood his dog was probably one of the few dogs on the planet that didn't like walkies. He couldn't blame him, considering how much the Poodle feared other dogs. He just didn't know how to help, until a woman and her dog tackled them one day at the park. Maybe there was a way to help his dog (and himself) after all.


_Notes: Aged-up/adult characters, normal AU, No Quirks AU_

**Puppy Love**

**SevenRenny**

Izuku understood his dog was probably one of the few dogs on the planet that didn't like walkies. He couldn't blame the little guy. Izuku had found bite wounds on the day he found Deku. And during his time on the lead, Katsuki's Pomeranian, appropriately named King Explosion Murder, had to explode at him in a flurry of snappy aggression. The Bakugos' family dog didn't like strangers or other dogs, and it was unfortunate he had to be the first dog Deku (Katsuki had called him that so many times the poor Poodle only responded to 'Deku' now) had to come across. The black Toy Poodle feared going outside, now, and while he stayed people-friendly, he was fearful of other dogs.

Deku was – what some called him – a crybaby. He cried a lot. He hid under the computer desk during thunderstorms and begged to be on Izuku's lap when at the vets or groomers where dogs walked around, often leashless.

But going out was a must, and Izuku had to take his dog out, so he took paths with wider walkways. There was enough space for Deku to move away from incoming dogs, and these types of walkways were usually surrounded by grass, so if there was no other dog nearby, Izuku could play ball or Frisbee with Deku. The Poodle knew how to come when called and to heel. He was smart, which most people didn't see in him, only noticing his wimpy side. In some ways, Deku reminded him of himself.

For the sake of his best and only friend, he was alert when taking the dog on walks.

The tiny brown dog that came out of nowhere had somehow slipped under his radar.

Deku had panicked and gone in circles around Izuku, wrapping the lead around his legs as the other dog chased him, begging to play. Izuku tilted and fell like a cut-down tree. The grass softened his fall and the dogs kept jumping over his legs.

"Uravity! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Uravity, stop! Come here!" the woman in pink sportswear yelled, jogging over and eventually picking up her disobedient Cavalier dog, its feathery tail a blur. "Are you okay? I'm so, s sorry! Her leash broke. Do you need help?" She offered him a hand.

"Y – Yeah. Thanks," he said, grabbing her hand and let her pull him up, the green leash still wrapped around his legs in a spiral. He clumsily loosened the rope. "It's fine. Just surprised me, is all. Your dog's really fast."

The woman laughed meekly, embarrassed. "She gets really excited sometimes." She kept holding up the happy dog, the pink leash dangling from her arm, the broken clip still attached to the dog's pink collar.

"Do you need another leash? I bring spares with me," he said, already reaching for his multi-tool belt that contained doggy bags, hand sanitizers, a foldable bowl for water breaks, a treat bag, and a tennis ball strapped to the side.

"Really?" she sounded surprised. "You're so sweet. Gosh... I knocked you over then you're the one helping me…"

He zipped up the pocket and uncurled the yellow leash. "It's no problem, really. They break all the time."

Leash clipped, the woman put her dog down but kept a firm hold on the lead. Uravity kept pulling to reach Deku, who was peeking from behind Izuku's legs. Her nose twitched, trying to sniff him. Realizing she was being to in-his-face, Uravity sat flat on the floor to seem smaller, her tail still wagging, then wagging harder when Deku felt safe enough to cautiously stick his head from between Izuku's legs to sniff her nose from a distance.

Izuku almost couldn't believe it. "He's never… done that before..."

"Done what?" the woman asked.

"Oh, he's usually really shy with dogs. I've never seen him want to greet another dog before." He kneeled to get closer to give his dog a comforting pet. "Do you like her, boy?"

The dog's touched noses, and Uravity went crazy, spinning like a helicopter propeller, jiggling her leash around with her. Deku barked, and Izuku was sure he sounded almost excited.

"You look really surprised," the woman said, giggling.

"Uh… yeah, I…" He looked up at the woman standing above him and instantly forgot how to talk. Short hair in a bun, she tucked a loose strand behind her ear. "I… uhhh… You…"

"Oh, I'm Ochaco Uraraka." She assumed he wanted her name. "I never checked this place out. It's nice."

There was the clicking of nails as Uravity demanded to play and, for the first time, Deku performed a play bow in front of another dog.

"Izuku Midoriya."

Their dogs ended up play-wrestling, their leashes getting entangled.

Ochaco laughed as both she and Izuku tried to fix the tightening rope.

"Okay, hold on–" he tried.

"Guys, calm down!" she managed between giggles.

"Let me just–" His hand brushed hers and he pulled away like he'd touched fire. "S-Sorry, sorry!"  
The dogs decided to run, and the leashed pulled. She bumped into him chest-first, and landed on top of him.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

His body seized up, his hands far away from her, his chin tilted up and his lips pressed thin, trying to not move because oh god this was mot okay on so many levels. He felt his face heat up as he kept as a statue.

"I… I…" she stammered, quickly shuffling off of him. "I'm so sorry – I'm sorry – It was an accident! I'm clumsy. I didn't mean to–" She waved her hands in front of her in her panic.

"I'm… I'm okay." He was not okay.

"Are you sure? I'm really, really sorry." She kept bowing and kept her head down.

"Yes." No. He remained on the gassy floor. "I mean, yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay."

The tiny barks bounced in the background.

…

As a police detective, he should really be focusing harder. He usually did. The files and clips and papers all over his desk were proof of that. He would need a new file cabinet someday. Workflow depended on the case and day. Sometimes, he'd go home after filling out just a few papers. Other times, they'd keep him all day and he'd need to call his mom to inform her. He was lucky his mom lived nearby and would walk his dog whenever he had to work overtime.

He felt bad for his dog. He must've been lonely. He had no doggie friends, and because Izuku wasn't a social person to begin with, thanks to his own lonely childhood and experience with naughty kids at school, he didn't have friends of his own, which made life even lonelier. His coworkers tended to… be very critical, despite his speed in solving cases and cold cases even they had given up on. It was stressful, so being able to come home to a dog that loved him was a relief every time.

He'd found the tiny dog as a matted ball behind a dumpster. "Are you all alone?" Izuku had asked when finally reaching out to the then-blind dog with mats hiding his vision. "Me, too." He hadn't had pets before. Vet visits and some online research later, he took up the role of a pet parent. It was hard, but not impossible, and it was still very rewarding to see Deku wag his short tail. He admitted he spoiled the dog a bit, letting him on the bed and sometimes sprinkling chicken in with his kibble and brushing his teeth.

Work happened to end early today for him, and he came home to a happy, non-barking Deku standing in front of the apartment's door, his paws prancing, ready to greet him. Izuku would've liked to enroll him into doggy daycare, but considering Deku's dog anxiety, that wouldn't be a smart idea.

Tired from work but still needing to care for his pet, Izuku reached for the belt and leash. "Ready to go?"

And of course, Deku had to retreat into his igloo bed. No.

"Come on, boy. I know… But you need to," he said sympathetically, reaching in to pull the defeated dog out and clip the leash onto the bowtie collar. He understood. After getting bullied at school, he often wanted to not go at all.

Deku would pretend to be dead as soon as the leash came on and Izuku had to carry him out of the building before putting him down. He'd walk sticking to Izuku's legs, which made walking difficult as Izuku had to keep looking down to make sure he wouldn't step on the dog's toes. He'd have to give Deku his quick walk before heading to the gym.

The trail he took was mostly used by joggers and cyclists. He'd occasionally see kids playing on the grass.

Deku suddenly stopped. Up ahead, someone with a dog was jogging, the lines of the earbuds jiggled with her steps. Uraraka waved at him.

He pushed back yesterday's memory and waved back with a kind smile.

She slowed to a stop and panted, taking a minute to catch her breath. "Hi! Thanks again for yesterday. Here." She reached into her pocket and handed him the yellow leash, curled into a ball like a snail's shell. "I felt bad you gave it to me after I bothered you so much. Went to the pet store and got another one. I kinda panicked cause I wasn't sure I'd find you."

"It's fine, I promise," he assured her. "I take this path a lot. It's easier on Deku."

"Deku?'

He laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… My neighbor called him that every time and now he thinks his name is Deku," he explained.

She kneeled to pet the Poodle. "Awww. Deku's a cute name, though. It sounds like 'do your best'."

The Poodle wagged his tail and gave her a surprise lick. Ochaco giggled. "You're so cute."

As soon as she put him down, Uravity demanded his attention, preforming her drop-and-wait trick she'd done yesterday to get Deku to come out of his shell. It worked, and both became their back and forth, short-leashed chase.

"I'm glad they get along," Izuku admitted, satisfied Deku was able to find a friend he could finally play with.

"I might start jogging here more," Ochaco said. "It takes longer to get here, but it's a good workout!"

He suddenly had an idea. "You will? Because… well… He's scared of other dogs so he never gets to play with them. I thought, because he likes her, then maybe…"

She perked up, understanding where he was going with it. "Oh! Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure! I take her with me whenever I go running. She'll start barking if I don't let her play. I don't want to get evicted." She laughed at the last part.

The dogs were a flurry of fur and tails and jingling dog tags.

"You look happy," she told him.

He hadn't realized he'd been smiling proudly. "Just never seen him play like that before."

"You're like a proud dad," she commented.

He scratched the back of his head shyly. "I… get told that a lot." Maybe he did treat his dog like a child sometimes. Sometimes. "You come here at the same time?"

She sighed. "No. Later on some days. Oh, wait – can I have your number, then?"

Izuku blanched. "My – My number?" he yelped.

She was already taking out her phone. "Yeah! So they can have play dates."

"I – yeah." He swallowed and cleared his throat. He was giving a lady his number. "Sure. Date. Play. Play date. Yeah!" Smooth, Izuku. Smooth. While typing his number in her phone, his eyes caught something… unusual happening in the background.

He wasn't the only one to notice it, because Ochaco followed his line of sight and gasped. "Oh my gosh – Uravity, no! Don't hump Deku!"

…

Mina was hysterical, laughing and smacking her knee and almost crying tears. Ochaco wanted to stick her head in a hole and die. Instead, she focused on shoving her lunchbox in the fridge, squeezing it between the other nurses' boxes. She almost closed the door on her head in a hurry.

"And you're sure – absolutely, positively sure Uravity is a girl?" Mina half teased, half asked.

"I'm sure!" Ochaco insisted, still embarrassed. "I had her spayed and everything!" She went over to the sink to fill up her water bottle, whining to herself. "She's never done that. Why in front of him, of all people?"

That made her worker snicker. "Your dog tried to boink Mr. Hottie's dog. Hey, at least you got his number, right?"

Ochaco regretted when she vented to Mina about the day she accidentally knocked a guy to the floor. Her anxiety-fried brain had gotten her to slip out a few comments in regards to the man's… physique. It had been an accident. A total accident that kept her up at night because he'd been so nice then she had to make a scene.

"Mina, he's not – he's… don't… I–!" She choked on her words.

"He's not what? Hot? Kinda sounded like you thought he was two days ago," Mina teased.

Ochaco hurried to check the clipboard handed over by another nurse. It was hard to focus. She had to make a lot of calls this morning.

"Okay, okay, I'm done," Mina said. "At least you had the guts to ask him out on a date. I'm proud of you, gurl." She patted Ochaco's back roughly.

"It's not a date," Ochaco hissed, trying to concentrate on the small lines of text on the papers, pointing the tip of the pen to keep track. "It's a puppy play date."

"Whatever you wanna call it. Fill me in later, kay?"

…

Despite feeling tired and hardly able to stand after work, she still had a dog to take care of. As an extravert, living by herself was painfully lonesome. And while Uravity brought her companionship and kept her mind busy, Ochaco still felt like there was something missing in her life; human companionship, maybe. Yes, she went on weekly girls' gatherings hosted by Mina so they could all just mess around at a karaoke or watch a film or vent about their lives. But she wanted another kind of companionship; one that would give her human hugs in bed and human kisses under a mistletoe or just to fill in that empty hole in her heart.

Ochaco could never figure out how dating worked. It wasn't like the movies. It was awkward and confusing, and often, didn't end well. Some boys had asked her out but usually only stuck around for one date. One had… other interests that younger Ochaco hadn't been ready for. She hadn't realized declining someone would offend them that much. It had to be done. Dating was pushed aside. She couldn't force it.

A puppy play date was a different sort of date, right? It was fine.

She found him and his dog waiting on a bench, Deku scratching a floppy ear with a back leg.

He raised a welcoming hand as a greeting. The dogs touched noses and all Ochaco could think was: please don't hump, please don't hump, please don't hump. Thankfully, no such sin occurred. For now. She'd have to keep an eye on her. It looked like Deku hadn't been traumatized.

"Sorry I was late. She didn't know where she wanted to pee," Ochaco said.

He chuckled. "It's fine, it's fine. I understand." He stood so they could walk side-by-side. "There's a quieter dog park up ahead. It's usually not very crowded."

They had to find where the gate for the small dog section was, twice, as the park was doable-gated. They didn't let the dogs off the lead until they reached the farthest clearing away from where the other four dogs in the area played.

"Aaaand be free!" she said happily, wrapping the loose leash around her wrist.

Uravity and Deku began a childish game of chase, this time, unhindered by ropes. They kicked scratchy grass as they hopped like grasshoppers and tumbled over each other. Going after one another, then running back so as to not stray too far. Uravity had slightly longer legs, but Deku knew how to do sharper turns.

She and Izuku strolled casually, their shoes pressing down on grass.

"They're like rabbits," Ochaco said, laughing contently.

"I never thought he'd play rough like that," Izuku commented after the dogs wrestled and rolled and ran, making gremlin noises he'd never heard before. "They look happy."

"I hope this gets her to sleep early," Ochaco said. "She's usually really hyper. I have to take her out and play fetch with her so she wouldn't wake me up to play. My fault, really. Work at the hospital keeps me busy. I'd play with her all day if I could."

"You're a doctor?"

"A nurse. They'll sometimes keep me over for longer. I'll let my friends babysit sometimes, but they're not always free," she admitted with slight shame. "I should've thought better when I said I'd take her. I guess I got a bit lonely and my neighbor's dog had puppies and… I saw her and I wanted her. It's selfish of me, I know," she chuckled at herself.

"I don't think it's selfish," he said, stopping. "I was lonely, too, when I found Deku. I thought I wasn't a good home for him. I didn't know anything about taking care of pets. Thought maybe he wouldn't be happy with me. But he's a big part of my life now and I just want to see him happy," he said the last part with a gentle smile. "I'm sure you want Uravity to be happy, too!"

That smile.

That smile had to be illegal.

It was doing things to her – acrobatics she didn't know her heart was capable of performing.

"I do," she managed to answer.

They stayed until the dogs were splayed over the grass, panting with their tongues out. Leashed clipped, the two dog owners sat down on a bench (avoiding the one that suspiciously smelled like dog pee) to hydrate with the help of Izuku's foldable dog travel bowl and his water bottle. They lapped loudly from the same bowl.

"Awww, he has a bowtie! I just noticed it," she said after spotting the green and black checkered bowtie collar on Deku.

"Yeah, that's what my mom said when she walked him. Sent me pictures while I was at work."

Uravity was flat on her belly with her back feet stretched behind her, signs she was tuckered out and will most likely sleep through the night. A few minutes rest and they slowly strolled out the park, the sky a dark blue and street lamps turning on. The air had turned damp; early signs of possible midnight rain.

"Thank you for today," he said, stopping when they needed to part ways.

"I'll text you? For another date, if you want."

She did, in fact, text him, again, and again. Thanks to these frequent (play)dates, Uravity slept like a log, and thanks to that, Ochaco managed to get a good nights sleep. Izuku was an easy person to talk with, his suggestions flexible and intentions as pure as a puppy's. He's texting habits were inconsistent, either responding suspiciously fast, or two or so hours later.

He never, however, waited over four hours, so when she heard nothing, she was more than a little perplexed. He did eventually send her a message, which she only got to check during lunch break. Feeling for something new, she visited the cafeteria, something she rarely did. Taking a seat at one of the tables outside the hospital, she sat down her plate of macaroni, plucked in her earbuds, and got to listen to the voice note he sent her.

"Hey," his voice sounded sickly and wet-throated. "Sorry to talk to you when you're busy. I can't type right. Hope you can hear me." He sniffed. "I don't know if I can hang out today. I should've said something earlier." He coughed. It was tired and raw. He was obviously sick. "I thought I could handle going to work but uhhh I got kicked out for today. Again, I'm really sorry. I could've told you sooner. I planned to but I fell asleep…"

His guilt seeped out of his pathetic voice. The voice note was still playing and she heard a woman's voice in the background.

"Izuku, honey, please, go back to bed."

He took a few seconds to answer. "Okay, mom. I promise. Okay, bye, Uraraka."

Well, at least she knew someone was keeping an eye on him. Finishing a forkful of macaroni and broccoli, she sent her own voice message.

"Hi! It's okay. You sound really tired. Rest, okay? Do you want me to come over for a visit? It's not a problem, really."

She kept her phone on the table as she finished half of her decent cafeteria food. She eventually heard the whistle of a new message. She hadn't expected to hear this voice on the voice note.

"Oh, hello, dearie," Izuku's mother greeted. "You must be Uraraka my son's been telling me about."

Ochaco heard Izuku's protest in the background. He sneezed loudly.

His mother kept going. "You're very welcome to come over."

"Mom–"

"God knows how long I can keep dragging him to bed on my own. You're free to come by."

Well. That was a message she hadn't expected today. She made sure to remind herself to bring some soup and possibly some medication after work.

His apartment on the second floor was on the small size, just like hers. Uravity sniffed the door and excitedly paws at the bottom. Buzzing the doorbell, Ochaco dangled a bag from her elbow and picked up Uravity with some difficulty.

"Baby, behave," she begged the dog. The last thing she wanted was her dog making scratch marks at her friend's door.

The door lock clicked from the inside and she was greeted by a chubby woman with facial and behavioral similarities as Izuku. His mother. "Hello, dear. I hope you didn't walk far. Come in, come in." The woman held the door open.

The familiar Toy Poodle backed away so as to not get hit by the moving door. He circled Ochaco's feet and stood on his hind legs, trying to reach Uravity who was struggling to be let down, her body jiggling with the fast tail wags.

"You can let her down, sweetie, it's fine," Inko said.

As soon as Uravity's feet touch the ground, the dogs immediately began wrestling and spinning, panting quickly. They swiftly zoomed past the bathroom and turned to play in another room.

Ochaco fumbled with the bag. "How is Midoriya? I got something for him." she presented the bag.

The woman looked flattered, touching her own cheek to contain herself. "Oh, how wonderful. Izuku'll be very happy. I'll go set it up."

Ochaco tried not to sound too shy in front of her friend's mother. She was very friendly, reminding her of her own mother. "Thanks for having me over."

"We're very glad you're here. My son talks about you all the time. Izuku, honey, your friend is here," she called out as she shuffled to head to the kitchen.

The response was a muffled cough from somewhere within the apartment.

"He's in his bedroom," the woman said. "Just ahead, on the left."

She heard the pitter-patter of dogs playing. The door was open and there was Deku on the bed, looking down at Uravity who was trying to get up as well and failing with every jump. A tired Izuku eventually sat up to help her.

He was in a shirt that read SHEETS. Ochaco couldn't hold in a lough.

He looked up and sniffed. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing. Nothing," she lied. "Came to check on you."

"You didn't have to."

"Your nose looks like Rudolph's."

"My nose is angry at me today," he commented, blew into a tissue, crumbled it in his hand and tossed it into the overfilled trash can by his bed.

"Your mom's nice," she said, casually touching his forehead and he froze. she slid her hand down to fell his cheek with the back of her hand.

"I… uuuhh…" was all he managed.

"She's heating up some soup for you. You should take medicine after if you haven't taken anything, okay?"

He was still dazed, his face going a deeper red. "I… yeah… Yeah, okay…"

She pulled in his computer chair. "Does your mom live here?"

"Uh, no. Nearby." Sniff. "Comes over a lot."

Uravity and Deku curled up by the lumps on the bed where Izuku's feet were. His mother walked in with the steaming bowl. Ochaco handled it with care. He heaved himself to sit up, then gawked at the spoon pointed at him.

Ochaco giggled. "Don't worry, I've done this before. Say aaah!"

He hid his face in his hands. "I – I – I can feed myself!"

She giggled. "Don't be embarrassed. Come on, Mr. Detective. Here, get tucked and let me do it."

She blew at the steamy end of the spoon. His jaw shivered when she fed him the first spoonful. His face kept getting redder.

"How is it?" she asked, stirring the bowl.

"Hmm?" he asked stupidly.

"Is it too hot?" she clarified.

He must've thought she meant something else, because it took him a few seconds to answer. "Oh! No. No. It's… it's good."

Satisfied, she scooped up another spoonful. "Tell me when you've had enough, kay?"

"Yeah… Sure."

The dogs slept by his feet, draped over each other. Deku yawned and it ended with a squeak.

"Hope Uravity wasn't disappointed today," he said, hiding his hands under the blanket.

"She was. I took her to the park so she could play with other dogs and she just looked at the gate the whole time. I thought if I'm coming over I might as well bring her cause she looked so sad."

He coughed tiredly. "I'm sorry. I'll try to get better soon so I can walk Deku again. Mom usually walks him just outside here. I don't want to ask her to go far."

She chuckled and slipped the spoon in his mouth. "I'll be sure to tell her you're sorry you two stood us up on our date."

He almost choked. "Wah – I – we –" Giving up, he sank half of his face under the blanket.

He was too easy.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

He didn't move to accept the next spoonful this time. Had she offended him?

His brows pinched with concentration. "I – uh… if you want…"

She tilted her head curiously. What is it?

He continued nervously, looking away, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he almost backed out of the mission. "I... um… would you… like to go on a date? A date date... Have dinner sometime?"

Date

Dinner

With him

It was her turn to go red in the face.

Was she ready to date again? Was she even capable of handling a relationship? Was a potential repeat of the last few dates worth the possibility of finally finding a kind man? She sat like an idiot for who knew how long, only waking up when Deku sneezed and woke the other dog up.

Izuku's panic bubbled out of him, unable to hide it anymore. "I mean – You don't have to if you don't want to! It's really fine!"

"Okay."

"I – what?"

"I said okay," she repeated gladly with a smile.

He stared at her in disbelief.

"But, under one condition." She lifted a finger. He held his breath. "We can't go anywhere if you're not a hundred percent better. Got it?"

He nodded firmly. "G – Got it!"

Satisfied, she grabbed the spoon again. "Good. Now get ready. Here comes another airplane."

* * *

_Notes:_

_-'Uravity, no! Don't hump Deku!' I wrote this whole thing just for this. It turned out longer than I had planned. You're welcome._


End file.
